Wales's most well-loved artist, Kyffin Williams, donated over 300 works of art to Oriel Môn throughout his life, from sketches and drawings to major oil paintings. Of all the works in the collection, the landscape of the east of Ynys Môn (Anglesey) features more than anywhere else. From Llansadwrn eastwards towards Penmon, Kyffin produced a vast amount of work in the area, especially from the late 1940s through to the 1960s. The landscape and its people held a special place in his heart.

Kyffin's family had long associations with east Anglesey. His paternal great-great-grandfather, John Williams, was born in Cefn Coch, Llansadwrn and his family owned the Treffos estate. Kyffin's great-great-uncle, Thomas Williams of Craig y Don on the Menai Strait, was an industrialist who made his wealth from the copper mines at Mynydd Parys.

In 1954 Kyffin's widowed mother, Essyllt Mary, moved from Llŷn to Llansadwrn, near Treffos on Ynys Môn. Kyffin spent much of his spare time visiting her there, away from his teaching job in Highgate, North London. While visiting his mother, he took every opportunity to explore the landscape east of Llansadwrn, searching for new locations and subjects to draw and paint. His diagnosis of epilepsy meant that he wasn't allowed to drive a car, so he explored the area by walking, cycling and travelling by bus.

This part of Ynys Môn provided him with a wealth of artistic opportunities – small rural villages, traditional cottages, stunning coast and landscapes, with the hills of Eryri providing a dramatic backdrop. He captured the landscape in pencil, watercolour and ink.

This ink drawing is of a farm called Ffordd Deg on the southern side of Llanddona. Kyffin rarely gave detailed titles to his work and simply called most of them 'Llanddona'. Recent research has revealed the identity of the farm and also the spot from where he drew. This rhythmical sketch shows Kyffin's preoccupation with light and dark, and the abstract patterns of the landscape and buildings within it.

Fedw Fawr is an area on the east coast of Anglesey, now managed by the National Trust. In this watercolour painting the moody, darkening sky is lifted by the vivid emerald green of the grass and hills on the Fedw Fawr coastline. A similar palette is used in Llanfihangel Din Silwy, where the artist is looking up at a cluster of stone buildings – black and grey – glowering on top of a grassy verge.

He also got to know many of the people of the area and painted their portraits. This characterful drawing shows Hugh Rowlands sitting for Kyffin in his Pwllfanogl studio. Using loose, lyrical lines and hatched pencil marks, Kyffin captures the farmer's intense gaze as he looks out at us, slightly slouched and legs spread wide, his two large hands grasping the arms of his chair.

Propped up behind Hugh is Kyffin's large oil painting Farmers below the Ridge – also in Oriel Môn's collection – showing farmers clambering over a rocky outcrop. Kyffin had a strong admiration for farmers, quarriers and workers – mostly men – and often portrayed them at one with the landscape in which they worked.

Ffermwyr o Dan y Grib / Farmers below the Ridge

Hugh Rowlands visited Oriel Môn in August, to share his experiences of sitting for Kyffin.

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The exhibition – which includes works from the Oriel's collection, alongside loans from the National Library of Wales, the BBC, and private lenders – shows that Kyffin was not just capturing the physicality of the landscape: he was embracing its emotional and cultural aspects too. It reveals how this part of the island contributed to the reputation of one of Wales's most influential and best-known artists, and held a special place in his heart.